Tag: Gloucester County

Together we shucked two pints of select Clay Bank oysters. Tomorrow I’ll feast on fried oysters for lunch, and a bowl of oyster stew for dinner to keep me warm during our next big snow.

FatChance Oyster Stew

Saute two tablespoons of finely grated shallot or onion in 1 tablespoon butter, until onion is soft and fragrant. Add 2 cups of cream or half-and-half and 1 cup of shucked oysters and their liquor. Raise heat but do not allow to boil, and cook for about five minutes. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Serve immediately. Oyster crackers are a traditional accompaniment, but plain old saltine crackers work just as well. 

Together we shucked two pints of select Clay Bank oysters. Tomorrow I’ll feast on fried oysters for lunch, and a bowl of oyster stew for dinner to keep me warm during our next big snow.

FatChance Oyster Stew

Saute two tablespoons of finely grated shallot or onion in 1 tablespoon butter, until onion is soft and fragrant. Add 2 cups of cream or half-and-half and 1 cup of shucked oysters and their liquor. Raise heat but do not allow to boil, and cook for about five minutes. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Serve immediately. Oyster crackers are a traditional accompaniment, but plain old saltine crackers work just as well. 

A few of the oysters I shucked were hosting tiny oyster crabs (Zeops ostreus), a common parasite of oysters and other bivalves in east coast waters. The crabs graze on plankton the oysters siphon to feed themselves.

Over time a crab can damage an oyster’s fleshy mantle, but they are harmless to people, aside from being, well, alarmingly ugly, and (such a fraught word) parasites. I am an aquatic biologist not bothered by such things, and I find them interesting, if not attractive.

The specimen above was about a centimeter wide. You can easily visualize internal organs through its translucent shell. Based on the small size of its eyes, I think this little crab is female.   

A few of the oysters I shucked were hosting tiny oyster crabs (Zeops ostreus), a common parasite of oysters and other bivalves in east coast waters. The crabs graze on plankton the oysters siphon to feed themselves.

Over time a crab can damage an oyster’s fleshy mantle, but they are harmless to people, aside from being, well, alarmingly ugly, and (such a fraught word) parasites. I am an aquatic biologist not bothered by such things, and I find them interesting, if not attractive.

The specimen above was about a centimeter wide. You can easily visualize internal organs through its translucent shell. Based on the small size of its eyes, I think this little crab is female.